Past Events

On November 10 I am to be the guest of honor at a private benefit concert for THE FOURTH COAST ENSEMBLE. The all Rossini program includes previously unpublished songs. The same concert will be given on Nov.12 at a Lincoln Park location. For tickets: http://fourthcoastensemble.com

On November 10 I am to be the guest of honor at a private benefit concert for THE FOURTH COAST ENSEMBLE. The all Rossini program includes previously unpublished songs. The same concert will be given on Nov.12 at a Lincoln Park location. For tickets: http://fourthcoastensemble.com

Christmas Eve
To watch a video of the July, 2012 performance in Riga, Latvia by Chicago Master Singers
Directed by Alan Heatherington, please copy the following URL into your browser:
the piece starts at 1:10:50http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z4z2MAkni0

Christmas EveCommissioned Work in its World PremiereChicago Master Singers, Alan Heatherington, Director
“Russia and the Baltics”
Friday, April 20 @7:30, 2012
Sunday, April 22 @7:00
Divine Word Chapel
Techny, Il
Also to be featured on the 2012 Spring Tour of Estonia, Finland and St. Petersburg
Sleep, Kentucky BabeOklahoma All-State Children’s Chorus
Oklahoma Music Educators Association
Friday, January 12, 2012
Oklahoma City

Right As the Rain
Arrangement of Harold Arlen’s song
Performed by A.J. Wester, Mezzo-soprano, in CABARET
Saturday, November 10, 7:30 p.m 2007
North Shore Unitarian Church
2100 Half Day Rd., Deerfield, IL
Young Vocal Artists Concerts

Whatsoever Things Are True World Premiere
Commissioned by the Northwest Covenant Church,Mount Prospect, IL.
for Jane Applequist, Music Director, upon the occasion of her retirement
June 5, 9 a.m., 2005

Farewell, Thou Art Too Dear For My PossessingWorld PremiereThe Truly Great
All of Creation Is a Song of Praise
I Would in That Sweeet Bosom Be
How Can I Keep From Singing“Music of Chicago Composers”Central Bucks County High School-West Choirs
Joseph Ohrt, Director
Fourth Presbyterian Church, North Michigan Ave. and Delaware Place
April 29, at 8 p.m., 2005

O Give ThanksMen’s Ensemble, SUNY Potsdam, State University of New York
Heather Eyrly, Dir.
April 28, , 7:30, 2005

Wondrous Love
How Can I Keep From Singing
Duermete, Nino Lindo
Brightest and Best
How Firm a Foundation
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
Come Into This place of Peace
I am That Great and Fiery Force
Night
O Give Thanks
If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
With Joy We Claim the Growing Light
All Of Creation Is a Song of Praise
Cantate! Sing!
Deep PeaceNorth Shore Unitarian Church Choir
2100 Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL, 60647
April 10, 9:15 and 11:00 services for 2005 Music Sunday, THE SACRED MUSIC OF WAYLAND ROGERS

If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking
Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church, Golden ColoradoCombined choirs of Jefferson UU and First UU Church of Salt Lake City
April 17, 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. services, 2005
April 24 in Salt Lake City in service honoring Emily Dickinson and William Blake

How Can I Keep From Singing
January 17, 2005, St.Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City and atSt.John the Divine Cathedral, New York City
check timeCentral Bucks High School-West Chamber Choir
Joseph Ohrt, Artistic Director

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
Chicago area premiere
Nov. 28, 9:15 and 11:15 services, Advent I, North Shore Unitarian Church,
2100 Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL

Peace On Earth, Goodwill To Men, and
O, Thou, Who By a StarRejoice! Christmas Celebration
Chamber Singers, University Chorus, University Orchestra
North Park University School of Music
Sat. Dec. 4, at 7:30 and Sun. Dec. 5, at 7:30
Anderson Chapel, 3225 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Il
reservations recommended, please call 773-244-5625
General $15, seniors $10

Presentation ceremony honoring Wayland Rogers as a member of
the Wayne County High School Hall of Fame
in Monticello, Kentucky. September 17, 2004

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
August 8, 2004 – Premiere at Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network National Convention.
It won the 2004 Vincent B. Silliman Anthem Award

Down By The Salley Gardens Gartan Mother’s LullabyCamerata Singers of Lake Forest
June 13, 2:30 and 5:00 p.m.

Rejoice and Be JoyfulChicago Choral Artists
May 10, 8p.m. 2003 First Congregational Church
Evanston, Il
May 17, 8p.m.Grace Lutheran Church
River Forest
May 18, 3 p.m. First St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Chicago

REVIEWS / COMMENTS

The Twilight Turns from Amethyst

“Sometimes I have to -really- dig into a piece to find what I’m looking for; sometimes, I don’t have enough time to even break the surface. Sometimes even the Masters come up short, and then sometimes it’s with a living composer that you discover a pearl… what a feeling!
Wayland Rogers’ setting of Joyce’s “The Twilight Turns from Amethyst”. Sublime.”

Brian Locke, pianist

“The Choral music of Wayland rogers immediately brings to mind the sound-world of Benjamin Britten for at times unusual melodic shapes and often considerable rhythmic interest. Vaughn Williams hovers on occasion, even Bach….though this last displays some modern harmonic motion and voice leading that would surprize the great master.”

David Katz, on recognizing Rogers as a finalist in The American Prize in Choral Music 2014

French Noel -Noel Nouvelet

“If your community chorus often finds opportunity to collaborate with a children’s chorus, finding appropriate and quality repertoire can pose a challenge. In this case, Wayland Rogers provides a wonderful work that can feature children singing the charming and joyful 15th century French carol (Noel nouvelet) and still provide adult singers and the audience a rewarding musical experience. If a children’s chorus isn’t in your next season, never fear!. The piece works quite well with a small group or sopranos singing the optional children’s part. While Wayland provides a singing translation in the score, I recommend using the French if at all possible in your situation.”
Boosey and Hawkes, 48023050. SATB, flute and piano. 2:00

Bright Cap and Streamers

“Especially attractive is Bright Cap and Streamers, rhythmically alive to the text, with not a cliched measure anywhere. Here, all the admirable rhythmic energy moves forward to at last confirm the emotional arc of the music, holding the listener in its spell.”

David Katz, The American Prize

From Heaven Above

This Christmas a cappella work, based on the Hereford Carol tune and a Martin Luther text, has a haunting, chant-like opening that features the soprano section. Gradually building throughout, the arrangement concludes with an exuberant full chorus. Singers and audience will embrace the jubilant text “My heart for very joy doth leap, my lips no more can silence keep; I too must sing with joyful tongue that sweetest ancient cradlesong.” An excellent choice for concert, community or church choirs. Duration: ca. 3:20.

Winner of Meistersingers Choral Competition 2006
“It is a short gem, beautifully set to the famous text by Rosetti. It opens with a haunting melody and closes with a glorious increase of sonority to a very uplifting final chord. For our group, and the project in particular, we found that this piece fit us exactly.”

” For a cappella SATB chorus (with divisi), this setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 87 is full of longing and desire. Voices fit comfortably around the ranges of their parts, and will resonate beautifully within the warm, sonorous harmonic language of Wayland Rogers.” Hal Leonard Pub. review

Hal Leonard

“I have been programming works by Wayland Rogers for several seasons, with great pleasure. His style is both sophisticated and immediately accessible. His music flows with the grace of good singing, which is natural since Wayland himself is a superb singer.It has been a treat to rehearse and perform “Been Down into the Sea,” which Chicago a cappella premiered in May 1996. Here, Rogers has a deft feel for the harmonies — and especially the unique voicings — of the African-American spiritual. While placing his own stamp on the traditional spiritual’s tune, he always maintains a sense of integrity and a conception of the whole. Our singers have enjoyed singing the piece as well.”

“Wayland Rogers’ What Sweeter Music…..: a setting of Robert Herrick written for the ensemble in 1994 and beautifully redolent of the English part-song; melodic, attractive and with slightly austere textures.

is also a joy to sing and to conduct. While it is a long work, it does not “feel” long, but just right. It breathes and builds and releases several times, each refrain taking its own shape and character.There is an intense lyricism in the piece, built in part by gently rising lines and well-shaped dynamics. Most of all, however, Rogers knows how to build beautiful vocal lines, and he shapes them for all the singers — even in the many divisi passages — with that sensitivity. This has become one of my favorite Christmas works. I am happy to be programming it for a second round of holiday concerts.”

With rich tones echoing a lush chant, the interlacing of voices prove this piece a true piece of art! This challenging song, which demands clarity on open fifths and occasional unisons, is truly “a carol worthy to sing for the heav’nly king!”

The adjudicators were unanimous in praising the maturity and effectiveness of your writing, also your control over the musical materials, text, and technique. We thank you for submitting the work to our contest.”

Lee S. Spear, Chair of Chautauqua Chamber Singers 1998 Choral Composition contest, of which WHAT SWEETER MUSIC was first Place Winner.

The Women’s Chorus of Dallas was most honored to perform your beautiful arrangement of “Sleep, Kentucky Babe“at our June concert. It was a particular favorite of the chorus and audience members. Dr. Seelig had the chorus sing softer and softer until audience members were on the edge of their seats with tears in their eyes. What a beautiful lullaby!

“These evocative, creative pieces present a variety of choral textures for a women’s choir. They are somewhat reminiscent of Vincent Perischetti’s Winter Cantata in their use of nature texts and rather spare melodies. The texts were written by the Japanese Children’s poet, Michio Mado. The first movement, “A Pleasant Landscape,” begins by creating the image of water shimmering in the sun. Four separate rhythmic ostinato patterns are used additively, one voice per voice part, to build a B flat Lydian scale. The notes oscillate like small waves on a lake, and the dynamics of this texture never exceed ppp. The remainder of the movement creates images of trees and mountains. The second movement, “A Dog Walks,” is quite humorous. Both regular and onomatopoetic texts are used in this contrapuntal piece. Melodically and rhythmically, it is quite accessible, but independence of parts is essential to create the humor of the work. This movement is notable for its rehearsal lettering system. Each rehearsal letter has an accompanying word or phrase, such as “A (as in) Arff,” “B (as in) Bone,” and “E (as in) Every Dog Has His Day.” What fun to have an inside joke between the conductor and singers. the final movements, “Butterflies,” abounds in harmonic richness and stands apart from the first two movements because it is very homophonic in nature and is brief. A solo soprano is required in this movement. This is the most accessible of the three settings and should be within the grasp of most children’s choirs.”

Robert Demaree, CHORAL JOURNAL, May 1999

“The Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus has performed two of Wayland Rogers’ compositions for treble voices. “O GIVE THANKS” was performed by our beginning level ensemble. It lies well for the young voice, and has an expressive melody and sensitivity to text which our children very much enjoyed. Kitty Alone,” an American folk song arrangement, was premiered by our intermediate level ensemble. They enjoyed its buoyant accompaniment, and challenges of mixed meter and three-part singing. These are both good pieces for young choirs to explore and add to their repertoire.”

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tell you how much I enjoy your piece “O GIVE THANKS“. I have programmed it several times this year… with my high school women, at a citywide festival my children’s chorus sponsored, at the Crescent City Choral Festival with 400 singers in June, and finally at the Choral Music Experience course which I direct at the University of South Carolina. I find that it never fails to move audiences and singers. Every time I conduct it I like it more.”

“This haunting melody comes from the County Donegal, Ireland. Like so much of the literature and music of the country, it is imbued with images of natural beauty and figures from the magical world of the fairies.”

“If you are looking for a spiritual that will feature a baritone voice with chorus, this will suit that purpose nicely. With some divisi, this is an excellent showcase for concert or festival performance.”

“A bittersweet song by Cuban composer Anselmo Lopez is the subject of this setting for mixed choir that features a beautiful melody and the sounds of a slow Latin waltz. Believed to have been written in the early 1900s, the song expresses the composer’s longing for the days when Cuba’s pristine beauty was untainted by imperial domination. Its haunting feeling will add a change of pace to your concert programming.”

“Faure’s Messe Basse, first performed in a small French church in 1872, was orignally written for women’s voices. Rogers’ new arrangement winningly adapts this magnificent music for mixed voices. With organ.”

“Strong dance-like rhythms carry the opening words of Psalm 96 and make this an exciting selection. Using both English and Latin text, this work combines engaging vocal counterpoint with stirring energy.In two versions (for SATB or SSA) With piano or organ.”

The Homesteaders, a poem by Rosemary Catacalos (2013 Poet Laureate of Texas), was set for mixed choir, marimba, SOLI Ensemble and percussion by Wayland Rogers, an American vocalist, conductor and teacher. Rogers’s setting of the text elevated it. The piece opened with a marimba solo that resonated throughout the church like the sound heard when holding a conch shell to your ear. The girls and boys stood onstage with great presence and discipline, staggering entrances and repeating key words of text over the warm resonance of instrumentals. Every so often the percussion, mimicking sounds heard in the natural world, would add to the ensemble texture. The combination of elements at times seemed ethereal, eternal; at others, ephemeral and dance-like. The piece culminated in powerful, homorhythmic chords played by full-ensemble before releasing back into solo marimba. The ending was a moving, layered version of the piece’s beginning, an allusion to the circle of life in all of its manifestations.
-KSTX-San Antonio

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